No impact on tourism from Israel passport ban: Minister

There are no detrimental impacts to the Maldivian tourism industry from banning Israeli passport holders from entering the country, said Tourism Minister Thoriq Ibrahim on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the President's Office, Thoriq said no campaigns have been observed against Maldives over the Israeli passport ban and that that they would continue to closely monitor the situation.

“We are in regular communication with the locally based diplomatic missions and the diplomatic missions based abroad as well as on why we took this decision,” he said.

The bill to amend the Immigration Act to prevent people from entering Maldives on Israeli passports was passed by the Parliament and ratified by the President on April 15.

The bill, which amended the Immigration Act, aims to ban entry to Maldives on Israeli passports in response to Israel's inhumane acts and genocide against Palestinians, the government said.

Since talks about the Israeli passport ban began last year, the number of tourists coming to Maldives from Israel dropped sharply. Last year, 1,400 tourists came to Maldives from Israel. In 2023, however, 10,000 tourists visited Maldives from the country.